Azaleas
Flower of Goodwill
多くの愛、LaurenおよびHar-chanを使って
*...listens to awkward silence, sighs.*
Everyone, I implore you to forgive me for taking so long to begin writing again. D: As of late, I've been stumbling about randomly in my life, trying to recover the urge to contact the muses. And, for quite a period of time...it just didn't come, and I couldn't have forgiven myself for writing something half-heartedly.
But now, I'm dusting the cobwebs (Pardon me, spiders!) away from my head, and I'm hoping to give writing a shot once again, this time, using everything I've got.
*Rolls up sleeves.*
I hope you all like this chapter, folks! It was...certainly an interesting one for me to muse over...*Laughs.*
Please, take care, everyone.
Quote:
"Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather (War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions).
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Generals order their soldiers to kill).
And gather it all in a bunch of heather (And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten).
...then she'll be a true love of mine."
Snow still fell sweetly in the air, fluttering and sparkling in the many lampposts from below before settling softly in the snow-covered bounds just beginning to formulate on the city street corners. Lauren's brown eyes flickered to the flakes incomprehensively, heart stilling in her throat for a second.
Through her mind, still made numb with terror, she dumbly noticed the pennants still fluttering at the Plaza just across the street; the tiny, matchbox cars still zooming about the world below, blissfully unaware of the two girls over three stories high in the air right above them...
One with a gloved hand squeezing painfully at their shoulder, and the tip of something cold, hard, and sharp at their throat.
Lauren swallowed as her eyes slowly flickered around, feeling extremely hot all of a sudden. Hot blood raced underneath her skin as her heart continued to frantically beat; her pulse just as bad.
And then, her eyes met the leering, masked pair of a Foot Ninja's.
Her pulse slowly died down as her heart stopped beating for a microsecond.
And all she felt on the frigid rooftop was the chill cutting into bones once more.
The ninja tugged Lauren roughly to her feet, just as her hand flew towards the Foot Ninja's left-the one still clutching the sword. Bad idea. Faster then a grasshopper, the man (She could hardly tell, either way) flicked his left appendage back, and then, simply settled for seizing her right arm, and twisting. Electric-white sparks of pain shot up her wrist, and stars flashed into her vision when her assailant aimed a kick for her ribs. Luckily, the blow only glanced off her side; which stung, but Lauren knew from one too many stumbles up and down the steps that a blow to the ribs was generally much, much worse.
Immediately, the man seized Lauren in a headlock, and the girl quit struggling, her breath now coming in ragged pants once again, making little puffs in the frosty air. She could faintly feel his breath on her arm, now slightly numb with cold by this point. Biting her lip, Lauren readied herself to scream, when a gloved hand plastered itself across her mouth. Still wriggling, Lauren attempted to bite it, but no such luck. Stupid leather gloves.
The ribbons of his dark mask still fluttering against the dark city skyline, the ninja bent his head over slightly-just enough so that his lips inched above the girl's ear.
"Not a word, you little brat," he hissed, fingertips winding over her aching wrist once again. Lauren made to strike him across the face; but he only arrested her hand again, and squeezed it.
Hard.
Lauren grit her teeth, and, closing her eyes tightly, let her arm remain limp instead of thrashing once again. When the man at last removed his hand, she swayed lightly, right arm now burning...and tingling, oddly enough. Her forearm was absolutely numb.
Now terrified, Lauren stood absolutely still, face stark white.
A minute went by. A torn garbage bag lightly flittered in the air below them, wind sending it spiraling any which way it pleased.
Then, another.
And, another.
It was unbearable. Lauren's eyes immediately flew to her watch, feeling bewildered.
Aren't these weirdos supposed to take your wallet, toss you to the ground, and-?
Mouth dry, she glanced at the ground below the enormous building, and now, the girl felt ready to heave.
Did this cretin mean to-
Suddenly, the world began violently rocking, and colors rushed in and out of her eyes. Swallowing back the hot sting of bile, Lauren desperately attempted to take a step back towards the door. But no such luck. The man still had her in a headlock, and he tightened his hold warningly. The girl went limp again, her brown eyes scanning the building top.
Where was Harmony?
What had happened to h-
Suddenly, the girl's mind went blank once again. Her eyes at last accosted the second figure she'd been too stupid to make out in the dark.
Then, she found another one.
And, to her horror, another one.
All identical to the black clad man, all bearing a weird, scarlet crest, and all surrounding her, and a struggling figure Lauren knew very well.
Two of the dark men, yellow eyes of their masks glowing eerily in the darkness, were clutching a struggling Harmony. The other stood watching the display, arms crossed lazily over his chest. In any other circumstance, Lauren would have shot at a seething glower at the man-and, perhaps, try to spit at him-but fright rippled over her body once again as she finally realized where Harmony was now standing.
The brown-haired girl had a hand over her mouth, and was kicking frantically at one of her attackers. Her hood had been thrown back, and now, brond stands were fluttering wildly in the wind once more. Green eyes were enormous, and her face, Lauren realized, had just recently had all the blood drained from it.
One of the men simply seized her foot, and, upon giving her a leer, made to twist at the appendage. Harmony winced, and, upon realizing that the man was deathly serious upon twisting it until the bone snapped in two, stopped struggling.
Lauren could have cried in relief.
The two men had seized Harmony, and dragged her away from the other girl's side before she could make a sound. She had to hand it to these creeps; they knew how to work fast.
But now what? Her eyes flickered over to Harmony's. Enormous green eyes, distraught, panicked, and bewildered-met hers in term.
If this wasn't a robbery, then what was it, exactly? Lauren's wallet was still in her hoodie pocket, and Harmony's purse still swung sadly from her shoulder. But none of the men had made any seize for any of their belongings.
Harmony at last found her voice, gasping slightly. One of the men impatiently went to cover her mouth once again, but Harmony twisted her head the other way, panting.
"P-Please. Just..."
The girl motioned feebly at her purse, before casting an imploring look at one of the ninja still clutching her.
"J-just take it! Just t-take them, and let us go!"
Lauren "accidentally" trod on her captor's foot, and was rewarded with a short slap. Beginning to wriggle again, Lauren gestured frantically at her pocket.
"My wallet's-ergh-in there!" she cried, not liking how the ninja's deadeyed stare met hers.
"Let us down f-from here, and we'll just...just go!" she finished somewhat lamely, Harmony nodding frantically in agreement.
Silence. The trash bag flew towards a series of broken wires, and, upon tangling itself inside, feebly began to flutter with the wind still roaring at it.
Then, much to their dismay, one of the ninjas began laughing.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
One bent down to stare at Harmony, and the girl could practically hear the smile the filthy man was giving her, even in the darkness.
"Oh, oh no, dear poppet. I believe you're...under a slight...misunderstanding," he said, as slowly and as carefully as if he were talking to a two year old child.
But the gentility was marred by the thick mockingness smeared onto each and every word. Harmony could faintly hear it dripping, and her stomach rolled in fear and disgust.
She gave him such a cold look that it made Lauren flinch. Warm green eyes turned to ice, though panic still glittered in the orbs, and it was a moment before the girl could speak again, her mouth extremely dry.
"Then what are you doi...?"
The man still surveying the spectacle cast his comrades a slightly concerned look.
"They'll be here, soon. You do realize this...?"
One of the men still clutching Harmony spat onto the ground.
"Bah. Of course I do, you little fool. Once they see we have these two-" Here, he nudged playfully at Harmony's shoulder, who recoiled-"I don't believe even the idiotic orange one will be stupid enough to attack."
But the first did not seem to be appeased.
"And if they DO confront us? Regardless of...?"
The other man simply shrugged once again, and, casually reached for his belt, and, to the girls' horror, withdrew a small dagger.
"Then we let the brats' blood run out, and they'll take care of the clean-up."
Harmony's insides turned to ice as the man sent her yet another mocking, playful expression.
"Won't you like that, little tori?" he sneered, and this time, Harmony could see that beyond the yellow eyes upon his mask, a pair of ink-black ones were glittering with barely suppressed merriment.
"That, or we could always...well..."
He shrugged helplessly, and, wrenching Harmony around, wheeled her around to face the edge of the rooftop. Lauren screamed, and Harmony faintly thought she heard another slapping sound.
A hand threw itself over her mouth again, and now petrified, Harmony began to fight once again. But another smack resounded in the air, and Harmony winced as a hand nearly struck a blow across her face.
The man began to speak again.
"In any case, we only need one of them," he said dismissively, tugging Harmony back from the edge of the building. "Two, well...if we need to go a great distance..."
Lauren was now biting her lip so hard it was bleeding. The ninja clutching her simply nodded.
"Shall I dispose of this one, then?"
"Do as you will."
Puzzled, Lauren glanced up-
...moments before the ninja made to shove her off the building top.
(~*~)
Eyes wild, and, with a shout of alarm, Harmony kicked at her captor with more strength then she'd ever administered in her life, which forced her second assailant to stagger back for a second-just a second-but a second was all she really needed. The man still clutching her froze, and, upon instinct, flung Harmony from him.
Which, unfortunately, sent the poor girl stumbling backwards in a desperate attempt to regain her balance-
Just before the ninja could snatch her back, one of Harmony's feet met a patch of ice, and the other, empty space.
She slipped; and, just so, the two girls tumbled off the roof, Harmony's bouquet still clutched in her hand.
It appears I still know how to be evil...*Flinches.*
Hope to see you soon, everybody!